Documenting the world’s last undisturbed places

The love for the nature has always been a big part of my life. To combine my passion for photography with my love for the nature is like a dream come true. I want to make a difference for the nature by helping with the preservation of places with natural silence before it is too late. Through a series of films I will be documenting the world’s last undisturbed places. I believe that what you love, you also want to protect.

I have seen how our glaciers are getting smaller and smaller, how our jungles are getting destroyed by deforestation, and how our planet’s biodiversity is suffering. Here are some of the disturbing facts about our planet’s health.

The disturbing facts

– Within this century the sea levels are expected to increase by up to 1 meter (3 feet). If all land ice melted, sea level would rise approximately 70 meters (230 feet).

– We’re losing 75.700 square kilometers (18.7 million acres) of forests annually, equivalent to the size of Ireland or to 27 soccer fields every minute. Scientists estimate up to 13 percent of global carbon emissions come from deforestation.

-Every year 50.000 plant and animal species disappear.

The fight for saving our true nature

Lack of environmental awareness have made undisturbed places with natural silence one of our most scarce resources.

As human populations and demands for resources increase, our natural habitats are suffering. Loss or damage of natural habitats is not only among the biggest threats to wildlife but also a threat to our own health and quality of life.

The loss of genetic and species diversity caused by our destruction of natural habitats will take millions of years to correct. A stupidity our descendants will have very difficult to forgive us.

To ensure the protection of the remaning natural habitats we need to understand the fragility of our nature and the importance of its protection. A healthy natural environment is of vital importants for all eco-systems and it is our responsibility to protect it.

If we want to create a brighter future for our children we need to respect, protect, and preserve the natural world. Help me spreading awareness about the importance of undisturbed places with natural silence. Share my films on social media and you will help saving natural habitats and keeping the future for both animals and our children bright.

It is only when we fall in love with nature that we truly want to protect it

The Silence Project

Films that create awareness about one of our planets most scarse resources – undisturbed places with natural silence

I have always been fascinated by the beauty of nature and have since childhood used nature to regenerate. Norway is one of my favorite places. I enjoy the deep blue fjords, snowy mountains and beautiful waterfalls. In the spring 2017 I went on a two week road trip through the nature of Norway. The natural silence in the undisturbed nature was amazing and inspired me to start the Silence Project.

Through a series of films I will present nature at its most natural. To fully capture the authentic atmosphere of the places I will combine the visuals with detailed soundscapes. No music or artificial sound effects will be used in the films only the songs from nature’s own sound library. To make the experience as natural as possible both the audio and video will be recorded in some of nature’s most undisturbed places. Further, I will keep the editing as simple as possible without any fancy transitions or other special effects.

This project was born out of love for the undisturbed places in nature. The goal of the project is to share the wonders of nature with as many people as possible and help us fall back in love with the nature. It is only when we fall in love with something that we truly want to protect it. It is my big hope that I through creation of stunning short films with breathtaking video and audio can help the protection of our undisturbed places in nature and thereby the enjoyment of these wonders for generations to come.

TV appearance

Silent listening

The importance of a healthy natural environment for wildlife and for us

The nature is busy communicating and in places without noise pollution we can listen to the nature at its most natural. Listening is not about trying to hear the sounds that you believe are important. Instead simply listening to the place without comparing sounds to what is already known. If we silent listen to nature in undisturbed places without prejudices we can experience the big diversity of nature and the faintest sounds gain their original importance in the soundscape.

Humans developed in a world where only the sounds of nature filled the air. Our ears are evolved to hear these often soft and information rich ambiences which help us experience our surroundings. But in our noisy urban environment our hearing is continuously being overloaded and thus we have learned to experience our surroundings through our vision. Even when we visit a silent place in nature we try to experience the place through our vision instead of listening to the place. Vision is focused in one direction at the time and is excellent when it comes to focusing our attention on a given event. But vision is very limiting when it comes to capturing the full image of a given place. Therefore hearing and not vision is the preferred sense in nature. The full image of a given place does not only expand in every direction around us but it expands for far distances behind visual objects that block the view but do not block the sounds. In a silent environment sound can travel far distances and can easily travel around objects. Further, it is often difficult to get visual contacts with wildlife but nothing escapes our hearing if we listen in silence.

Natural silence

There are many benefits of experiencing silence in nature. Natural silence is relaxing, reduce stress and increase overall productivity. Conversely, noise pollution cause stress, increase risk of cardio-vascular disease and has a negatively impact on overall productivity. When we live more quiet lives, we become healthier, more relaxed, and better able to listen to others and the world around us.

The industrial revolution and population growth has unleashed an epidemic of noise pollution that has made natural silence one of our fastest-disappearing resources. It is my goal that this film project will raise the audience’s awareness to the importance of silence. I hope to bring the experience of natural silence to the audience and encourage an interest in saving the undisturbed places in nature. We need to learn how to listen again to fully appreciate nature’s whispers.

Natural silence is not the absence of sound from nature it is the absence of noise from modern life

GRATEFUL LIVING

The goal of my work is to inspire people and to help them expand their consciousness to the natural beauty around them. Through my work I have learned that true success and happiness is not reaching a specific destination, but to enjoy the journey forward … one step at the time … always being my best and always helping others on their way.

In our stressful society we so seldom find the time to relax and regenerate. Use these films as an escape from a stressful and noisy environment. Here you will experience natural silence and wide relaxing spaces in nature.

We strive through life for status and recognition, and we attach ourselves to material things in the belief that they will make us happy. I believe that it is only when we free ourselves from this pursuit of external satisfying that we can displace the inner emptiness and create lasting happiness and tranquility in our stressed minds.

In fact, it is only our idea about that something is missing that prevents us from being happy. Happiness comes from being grateful for our situation and for all the things we already have. It is when we can rejoice together with others, that life makes sense, and true happiness arises. Happiness is not a destination; it is a process – a wonderful journey.

Nature’s beauty can be so easily missed. It is my hope that these films will contribute to a deeper understanding and gratitude of the natural wonders in our world. The survival of the natural world lies in our hands. We have the power to destroy or to protect the nature. The choice is ours.

Create awareness about undisturbed places with natural silence

The Silence Films

The Silence of the Dolomites

This is the second episode in my silence project. Here you can join me on a mindful journey through the nature of the Dolomites.

This film was chosen as one of the best films on Vimeo and received the honorful staff pick badge.

For the full experience find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Headphones of good quality are highly recommended. Enjoy!

“This is freaking beautiful. The lack of music really amplifies the visuals here.”Jeffrey Bowers

Vimeo Staff

“Thank you for this beautiful piece. It is tranquility at its finest. Thank you for bringing me a moment of Zen with your video. I am in a tricky place in life and you gave me a gift.”Kasha

“Too often when we discover a video of fanatic landscapes it also includes some loud, overwrought music that sometimes feels out of place. That isn’t the case with this beautiful clip, which takes us to the Italian Dolomites for a stunning look at this amazing part of the world. But rather than shoehorning in an inappropriate soundtrack, this video uses the natural sounds of nature found in the mountains. The result is something more tranquil and pleasing. For the full effect, throw on a pair of headphones. You won’t be disappointed.”The Adventure Blog

“Our days are often so perfectly planned, with every hour pinned to some responsibility or activity, that it’s sometime difficult to even think about saving a few shards of time here or there for spontaneity. But not right now. Whatever you had previously budgeted for the next seven minutes of your life can wait. The “Silence of the Dolomites” awaits, and it’s worth every second of the next 420.”Mother Nature Network

The Silence of Norway

This is the first episode in my silence project. Here you can join me on a mindful journey through the nature of Norway. We start our journey in the highest and coldest mountains in Norway and travel down to the sandy beach on Norway’s west coast. On the way you will experience sunrises and sunsets in the mountains, glaciers, melting ice and snow, rivers, lakes, forests and blooming fruit trees at the Hardangerfjord.

For the full experience find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Headphones of good quality are highly recommended. Enjoy!

“A friend an I were watching this and I told her, “We probably won’t watch all of this. It’s 14 minutes long.” Before you know it we had watched the whole thing, ooohin and aaahing, and it felt like 5 minutes! Thanks for this sublime gift!”David Reed

“Such an incredible and inspiring video Casper. I really like the combination of breathtaking aerial shots and time lapses. The authentic atmosphere from the undisturbed nature makes it an unique journey trough Norway’s incredible scenery. Well done!” Morten Berg